In one of our guest blogs for the Greater Manchester Green Summit, NIBE Energy Systems discuss improving the energy efficiency of homes, introducing low-carbon heating such as heat pumps, developing skilled workers, and working with communities to create comfortable, efficient and affordable housing.
Greater Manchester has set one of the UK’s most ambitious climate targets: to become carbon neutral by 2038. Achieving this goal will depend heavily on how successfully the region transforms its housing stock – improving energy performance, reducing emissions and ensuring homes remain comfortable and affordable for residents. The challenge is delivering change at scale.
Across the city region, local authorities, housing providers and developers are progressing retrofit programmes, building new energy-efficient homes and exploring ways to provide secure, low-carbon heat. Yet turning strategy into delivery brings complex practical questions: how to upgrade thousands of homes with minimal disruption, how to ensure systems perform in real-world conditions and how to build the skilled workforce needed to support long-term success.
Delivering solutions that work in real homes
Decarbonising heating is central to the transition. Homes require systems that are efficient, reliable and suited to the realities of everyday living. Heat pump technologies are increasingly playing a key role in both retrofit and new-build settings, helping to reduce emissions while maintaining comfort and energy efficiency. In apartments and multi-occupancy buildings, compact solutions such as exhaust air heat pumps, including systems like the NIBE S735, can recover heat that would otherwise be wasted, improving efficiency without major structural changes. For houses and retrofit estates, air source heat pumps offer a scalable approach capable of delivering consistent heating and hot water while reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
What matters most is not the technology alone, but how systems are designed, specified and installed as part of a whole-home approach. When correctly integrated, modern heating solutions can support improved indoor comfort, stable running costs and long-term performance.
Skills and supply chains
A successful transition depends on people as much as technology. The demand for skilled installers and heating professionals is rising rapidly as low-carbon systems become more widely adopted.
Training and professional development are therefore essential. Industry training centres, including NIBE’s UK training facility in Chesterfield, equip installers with the knowledge and confidence needed to design, install and maintain modern heating systems safely and effectively. By supporting industry standards and upskilling professionals, such initiatives help ensure systems perform as intended and provide residents with confidence in the transition.
NIBE works closely with housing providers, contractors and installer networks across the UK to support the specification and delivery of low-carbon heating solutions, helping projects move from design to dependable day-to-day performance.
An example of this collaborative approach is NIBE’s participation in the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Net Zero Housing Retrofit Framework, supporting the delivery of low-carbon heating across housing stock as the city region works toward its 2038 carbon neutrality target. By contributing expertise and proven heating technologies, frameworks such as this help housing providers accelerate retrofit programmes while ensuring long-term performance and resident confidence.
Developing local skills also strengthens regional economies, creating long-term career pathways in a growing sector while ensuring the workforce is ready to meet future demand.
Residents and communities at the heart of the transition
The success of retrofit and low-carbon heating programmes ultimately depends on the people who live in the homes being upgraded. Residents need systems that are easy to use, dependable and affordable to run. Clear communication, good design and reliable performance all play a role in building trust and ensuring long-term satisfaction.
Minimising disruption during installation, maintaining familiar comfort levels and ensuring good indoor air quality are equally important. Modern ventilation and heat recovery approaches, including exhaust air systems, can help improve indoor environments while supporting energy efficiency, an increasingly important consideration in densely populated urban areas.
Community engagement is also critical. When residents understand the benefits and feel supported throughout the process, adoption becomes smoother and outcomes more successful.
Working together to accelerate progress
No single organisation can deliver the transition alone. Progress depends on coordinated action between manufacturers, local authorities, housing providers, developers, supply chains and training providers. By working together to align policy, funding, skills and delivery, Greater Manchester can accelerate its progress while ensuring solutions remain affordable and accessible.
A decade of delivery ahead
The coming decade will define the success of the region’s net zero ambitions. Moving from pilot projects to delivery at scale will require practical solutions, a skilled workforce and a continued focus on residents’ needs.
Greater Manchester has the opportunity to lead nationally by demonstrating how low-carbon homes can be delivered in ways that improve comfort, reduce emissions and support thriving communities.
By focusing on real-world performance, investing in skills and working collaboratively across sectors, the region can ensure its housing transition delivers environmental benefits, as well as healthier, more resilient homes for the people who live in them.
